Elephant Bucks. Sheldon Bull
of the regular characters. I'd make sure that Marie meddled somehow in Raymond's life. I'd make sure that Debra got upset over Marie's meddling. I'd make sure that Robert got jealous of Ray. I'd make sure that Frank was cantankerous. And I'd stick Raymond in the middle of all of it.
What's the premise of the series you have chosen to spec?
Think about it for a while and then jot down the premise as I did for Raymond. Try to be as specific as you can in describing what the series is really about. This will lead you to the right story for your spec script.
Was Seinfeld really a “show about nothing”? Of course not. Seinfeld was about a very likeable but immature, anal, selfish, single, stand-up comedian named Jerry and his three equally likeable, immature, selfish, single friends. Seinfeld was about adult children (Jerry and Elaine were slightly more functional than George or Kramer) avoiding the emotional toll of a mature life — real relationships, real careers, real responsibilities — through childish goals, petty disagreements, adolescent competitions and obsessing about minutiae.
When you really lay out the premise of Seinfeld it's obviously a show about something, and that something is pretty easy to see. To write to the premise of Seinfeld, you'd want to explore the immaturity, selfishness and dysfunction of the characters through some minor and commonplace issue like chipping in for a wedding gift or waiting for a table at a Chinese restaurant.
Once you completely understand the premise of the series that you have chosen to spec, start thinking about a story area that exploits the premise.
WRITE THE MAIN CHARACTER
A spec script for a situation comedy should always be about the Main Character of the series.
Why?
Because writing about the Main Character is the best way for you to demonstrate that you understand the entire series.
Most of the stories on any sitcom evolve from the premise of the series and from the personality of the Main Character.
If I were writing a spec episode of Everybody Loves Raymond, I would write a story about Ray's meddling mother, his formidable wife, his jealous brother and his cantankerous father, but I would make the focus of the story about Ray. Ray has to solve some personal problem or family conflict that involves all or most of the other characters. Ray solves the problem in a way that is consistent with his established personality on the series.
It's rare to find a series that does not have a Main Character. The only one I can think of recently was Friends. But Friends is over now, so you won't be specing that series anyway. Even if the series you have chosen is an ensemble like Scrubs, you should create a story that is centered on the Main Character, J.D.
Writing a story about the Main Character on a sitcom reassures someone who is reading your spec script that you understand the series you have chosen. If you demonstrate a clear understanding of the series you have chosen, it suggests that you will likely understand another series just as well.
I caution you against creating a story about a supporting character on the series you have chosen. The best spec script is one that demonstrates your strong grasp of the entire series. You'll best demonstrate your grasp of the entire series by writing a story about the Main Character. Let the supporting characters play a supporting role in your story.
Since your story is going to be about your Main Character, take a minute to think about what kind of person your Main Character is. This will give you another important clue about what story to tell.
The right story will spring from an aspect of the Main Character's personality.
Lucy was an eccentric character, wasn't she? She was bigger than life. Lucy created problems for herself and for the people around her. She was a schemer and a plotter. If you were writing a spec episode of I Love Lucy, you'd have Lucy plotting and scheming to get something she wants, wouldn't you? Your story would likely spring from that powerful aspect of Lucy's character.
I remember seeing an ad for an episode of The King of Queens. The blurb read: “Doug discovers that Carrie is buying his clothes from the Big and Tall Shop.” Embarrassed about his weight, Doug goes on a diet.
Here's an actual story from a hit series that springs directly from an aspect of the Main Character's personality. Doug was an overweight guy. His wife was trying to buy him clothes that would fit and be comfortable, but she didn't want to hurt his feelings by telling him that the clothes came from the Big and Tall Shop. This struck me as an organic story for The King of Queens and an excellent example of how to use aspects of the Main Character's personality as a source of stories.
For your spec sitcom episode, think about who your Main Character is. You've been watching the series for a while. You know it very well. Try to think of a story that exploits the series premise and springs from some interesting aspect of the Main Character's personality.
If you have an ACTIVE Main Character like Lucy, you'd think about a goal for Lucy. You'd think of something that Lucy would want based on her personality. Then you'd create an obstacle keeping Lucy from obtaining her goal. If Lucy wanted a new hat, you'd give her a good reason for feeling that she needed a new hat. Maybe Lucy's rival, Caroline Appleby, just got a new hat, and was flaunting it in front of Lucy, making Lucy jealous. Now Lucy feels that she must have a new hat to keep up with Caroline Appleby. The obstacle to getting a new hat might be money. Lucy spent her allowance, and Ricky won't give her any more money. Because of her scheming personality, Lucy concocts a plot to get the money for the hat. The plot somehow backfires, getting Lucy into even more trouble.
An Active Main Character usually wants something that improves his or her status: a new car or a better job or a starring role in the community play. Active Main Characters will then move heaven and earth to achieve their goal, inevitably getting themselves into even more trouble.
Examples of Active Main Characters are Christine on The New Adventures of Old Christine, Michael Scott on The Office, and Earl Hickey on My Name Is Earl.
If you have a REACTIVE Main Character like Ray Barone, you'll want to put your Main Character in a troublesome dilemma or an embarrassing situation.
If Lucy was the quintessential Active Main Character, Bob Newhart may have been the classic Reactive Main Character. The persona that Bob Newhart created for himself as a comedian was that of an ordinary, self- conscious man stuck in an eccentric world. Most Reactive Main Characters, like Ray Barone, have similar personalities. Reactive Main Characters are often the voice of reason as chaos swirls around them.
Katherine Greene wrote a wonderful episode of Newhart in which Bob's character, Dick Loudon, discovers that there is a body buried in the basement of his Vermont inn. It was an embarrassing situation for Dick, who had to figure out what to do about the corpse before his guests found out. The problem wasn't Dick's fault, but he had to solve it in order to stay in business.
This story sprang organically from the personality of the Main Character. Dick was a responsible guy. What can we do to make the eccentric outside world intrude on Dick's orderly existence and embarrass him?
We'll put a body in his basement.
A Reactive Main Character is a problem solver. Reactive Main Characters usually have to fix a problem or resolve a conflict. Reactive Main Characters are well-meaning, but their attempts at making things better usually make things even worse.
Examples of Reactive Main Characters are Ted on How I Met Your Mother, Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men, and Chris on Everybody Hates Chris.
Decide whether the Main Character on the series you have chosen to spec is an Active or a Reactive Main Character. Write down as many aspects of the Main Character's personality as you can think of. In your mind, go through as many episodes as you can. Write down a synopsis of each story. Use the series' website to help you remember. Think about how aspects of the Main Character's personality have already combined with the premise of the series to create stories for actual episodes, like the